Hum... Just smoked my first bowl of H&H Black house and was not impressed. If it won in 2011 then my guess is that they have changed the blend. Perhaps I should cellar it for a while. Do you think that will help it out?
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Pipes Magazine » Pipe Tobacco Discussion
Hearth & Home Black House
(39 posts)-
Posted 3 months ago #
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HMMMmmmm
Posted 3 months ago # -
What about the blend didn't impress you? I love the stuff, but I can see how it may not be for everyone, particularly if you're looking for a blend that's high in nicotine.
-Jason
The preceding statement is not to be construed as fact, but merely conjecture.
Proud member of the BlackBlood SocietyPosted 3 months ago # -
I, too, enjoy Black House, possibly for the exact reason you were not impressed -- to me, the latakia in Black House is mellow and creamy; this is due to the exceptional talent of Russ Ouelette who's goal was to mimic the latakia in a tin ofr 25 year old Balkan Sobranie Original when creating Black House. Of course, Russ succeeded masterfully.
Now, being that latakia mellows with age, with a noticeable change in a few years and more as it ages longer, I think, teamkazam, that aging Black House so as to "improve" it, will just disappoint you.
Just a suggestion -- if you really dislike Black House, you can use http://www.briarbid.com to trade it. With as much love as there is for Black House here, you should have no problem at all moving that blend quickly.
Posted 3 months ago # -
Teamkazam:
I'm not a fan of Russ Ouelette's blends in general, and I was disappointed in Black House as well. Didn't feel anything like a Balkan blend to me. (And I think it's sacrilegious to include burley in a Balkan.) I am cellaring the rest of my tins, but I'm not hopeful.
Posted 3 months ago # -
I guess I'm going to have to get my hands on this stuff, too many disagree on how it smokes. Some say it's too busy, others not busy enough. Too much latakia, to little, this, that.....Sounds like I need to have a few bowls and set the record straight
Posted 3 months ago # -
I think its an ok blend, but didnt blow me away by any means,, I realy like Magnus Opus wich I ordered at the same time,
over it prob because there is more latakia,wich I prefer.Posted 3 months ago # -
Different strokes...
I also don't need to say that it has been hyped to the high heavens here on the boards, so you probably had unrealistic expectations going in.
Some love Black House, some love Blue Mountain, some love other latakia blends to various degrees, some love completely different styles. There is no accounting for taste.
Posted 3 months ago # -
Lol... I think you are right on the mark.... "There is no accounting for taste." Might be the best thing about pipe smoking. There is a pipe and blend for everyone. Thanks much!
Posted 3 months ago # -
Personally, I don't care for either Blue Mountain or Black House (and I've been a daily English/Balkan smoker for more than 20 years now). I think both are very well-executed, but they just miss the mark for me. I much prefer Magnum Opus, Larry's Blend, or most of the GL Pease/C&D blends of similar types.
"Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the wise cannot see all ends. -- J.R.R. TolkienPosted 3 months ago # -
I find Black House to be fantastic. Everyone has their own tastes. I also enjoy Magnum Opus which I feel is a bit more complex than Black House.
Midwest Wood Creations
Be sure to check out Gecko13's handiwork when in the market for any of your pipe accessory needs such as tampers, cabinets, pipe racks etc.Posted 3 months ago # -
So here is my take on Black House vs. Blue Mountain:
Blue Mountain to me is like a really good steak. Lots of good savory flavors. Black House is the same steak but with a spicy edge that leaves that spicy feeling at the back of your throat.
I like both but I prefer Blue Mountain over Black House.
Of course I think Smoker's Haven Exotique is better than both of them (good lord is that stuff good).
Jason
"The cosmos is also within us. We're made of star-stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself." - Carl SaganPosted 3 months ago # -
Every blend has its proponents and detractors, so I actually enjoy the feedback. I just find it curious to read a comment about it being sacrilegious to put Burley in a Balkan blend, as Sobranie 759 contained dark-fired Kentucky as well. That's the reason I included it in the blend. I like the discuss, anyway.
Russ
Posted 3 months ago # -
Every blend has its proponents and detractors, so I actually enjoy the feedback. I just find it curious to read a comment about it being sacrilegious to put Burley in a Balkan blend, as Sobranie 759 contained dark-fired Kentucky as well. That's the reason I included it in the blend. I like the discuss, anyway.
Russ
Good to see you posting here Russ. I thoroughly enjoy Black house. Keep up the good work!
Posted 3 months ago # -
I don't believe Black House will age well at all. In fact, the mellowness of the latakia in the fresh version will continue to mellow as it ages and its flavors slowly weaken so that, after a few years or so, it will be so far in the background we'd probably have trouble finding it.
That's why I bought less than a pound of it, jarred it, and my plan is to smoke it up in the rotation over the next 4-6 months or so -- after which, I'll just buy some more.
Posted 3 months ago # -
to me, the latakia in Black House is mellow and creamy
Agreed.
The first time I tried BH I was somewhat disappointed after the first couple of bowls, but I found that it grew on me steadily. I'm almost through my second tin of it, and I find that I really like it a lot now. For me, I think one reason it took some getting used to is that the taste and various characteristics are quite different than the other English/Balkan blends I had tried previously. For example, I also very much like Balkan Sasieni, but IMO, the two blends are very different. My experience with English/Balkans is not very extensive yet, but I consider BH to be in the top 5 for me at this point.
"What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning." -- Werner HeisenbergPosted 3 months ago # -
Sobranie 759 contained dark-fired Kentucky as well
I stand corrected, then.
To be honest, though, if it was in the original, I certainly don't recall it coming through nearly as much as it does in Black House.
That said, it's been 25 years since I last smoked the 759, so my memory may be affected somewhat by all of the Balkans I've enjoyed since then, which have not included a burley component.
Posted 3 months ago # -
I had my first bowl of Black House the other evening. It was good, but I prefer Larry's Blend. Just my two bits.
Posted 3 months ago # -
Thanks to a Black Blood Society member, I was able to try BH for the first time yesterday. I really enjoyed it and it was the best smoke that I have had so far. But there is my .02 worth.
Posted 3 months ago # -
It's interesting to see the different reactions and I'm sure the hype may have set the expectations unrealistically. That said, I think BH is great and it's actually one of the blends I can pick out the Burley and enjoy it. Magnum Opus is a bolder blend but I tend to save that for special occasions (or after a really rich dinner!) whereas BH I can see as more of an anytime smoke.
I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. -- C. S. Lewis, Theologian, Philosopher, Professor, Pipe smoker.Posted 3 months ago # -
I think one reason it took some getting used to is that the taste and various characteristics are quite different than the other English/Balkan blends I had tried previously.
My thoughts exactly, Brian.
My memory may be affected somewhat by all of the Balkans I've enjoyed since then, which have not included a burley component.
Or, it could be that you did not taste what you would associate with burely.
And we all know, if course, that there are a lot of blends out there that do not specifically identify the various leaves in the blend, on the label and some review sites, such as TR are notorious for making mistakes about what's actually in a blend.
Lastly, it's also a known fact that burleys are used, often surreptitiously, to "round out" blends of every type.
Posted 3 months ago # -
In my head, this is how I make sense of the Balkan flavor tree:
Latakia dominant (ie Lat bombs): GLP Odyssey, C&D Star of the East Flake
Latakia forward: Larry's Blend, LJ Peretti's Omega, Seattle Pipe Club Plum Pudding
Harmonious, complex: Blackhouse, Magnum Opus
Oriental forward: LJ Peretti's Royal Blend, Dunhill Nightcap
Oriental dominant, very little or no latakia: Dunhill Early Morning Pipe, LJ Peretti's TashkentI don't really care about how tobacco composition affects nomenclature. When I reach for a blend to load my pipe, I don't think "I'm in the mood for an English blend" or "A Balkan would go great in this pipe" -- I just think about what flavors I'm in the mood for. I'm not saying that my way is right or wrong, just how I pick what I want to smoke.
Getting back on topic, Blackhouse is damn good. It's my favorite tobacco to smoke when I have "quiet time" on my hands and can really focus on the multitude of flavors. It's just an expert blend.
Have a peek inside my cellar!
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AtrTzJLDbOXgdFhSZWR1SGNobkFXQUdXSWNNVXdrYWc&usp=sharingPosted 3 months ago # -
I much prefer black house to larrys blend. Larrys seem's one dimensional to me. I have a large jar of larrys and will probably give most of it away to an impovrished smoker;and replace it with 1lb of black house. I'm waiting for national pipe smoking day....p&c usualy celebrates well.
Posted 3 months ago # -
+1 tanless
Larry's blend is too much of a one dimensional latakia bomb in the face and not much else. I can't describe it very well... but it's like smoking smoke. I'm crazy.
Blackhouse is a very nice blend and I'm interested to see how it ages.
"I was born to lose. So I'll die to win." -Breaking BenjaminPosted 3 months ago # -
I want to truly thank everyone who gave feedback on this post. I can't tell you how much my pipe smoking experience improves every time I glean from those with more experienced than I. Even when you disagree I find my self better informed. Thanks again everyone!
Posted 3 months ago # -
BlackHouse....I LIKE IT!
Posted 3 months ago # -
I'm willing to serve as a semi-mobile Larry's Blend disposal service. Just send your unwanted Larry's Blend to me. It's a sacrifice, but one I am willing to make. (Just kidding, of course, and not trying to do any banned trading here on the forum.)
I do like Black House, and I will definitely be smoking more of it. It is just a little too intense for me to be a regular smoke.Posted 3 months ago # -
Russ,
Don't get me wrong.. Black House is really good! I find it best when I am in the mood for something with a little more kick.
Love the Baron's review of it...
Jason
Posted 3 months ago # -
All the hype here, and the Baron's review ( I call him the Baron of Blackhouse) and his Youtube Blackhouse tattoo video inspired me to want to try it. A member here sent me some... loved it... I think it has a cool woody kind of thing going on, and then I bought some. And now as you see in my siggy, I bleed black.
Cut me... I bleed black.Posted 3 months ago # -
Black House is really good! I find it best when I am in the mood for something with a little more kick.
You know, a lot of puffers say this and many say it's got a lot of latakia.
The reason Black House is one of only two English/Balkan blends I smoke (the other is EMP) is because I find that the latakia in BH is mellow and in the background. But, as usual, YMMV.
Posted 3 months ago # -
As we discussed in the other thread, I really don't think it's got a lot of latakia in it at all. Everyone's palate is different as we all know, but I honestly find it to be the most evenly balanced Balkan blend on the market today. Just picked up 2 more oz for smoking now and another couple tins for the cellar!
Posted 3 months ago # -
I just got my first tin! I will try it out soon. It's great to see Russ here, I love your Anniversary Kake!
"The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time."
Mark Twain - Eric (taerin): nickname (username)Posted 3 months ago # -
Love BH. Not all the time, but a few bowls a week really hits the spot. One of my dogs is a Black Blood I think. This is the only blend I smoke where she rests her head on my lap the whole bowl and just stares up at me. I guess in her mind the room note meets her approval.
"The pipe draws wisdom from the lips of the philosopher, and shuts up the mouth of the foolish; it generates a style of conversation, contemplative, thoughtful, benevolent, and unaffected..."
-William Makepeace Thackeray, from The Social PipePosted 3 months ago # -
Opinions are like left ears.....everybody has one. That is why we schmoke a variety of blends.
I too like Black House, not a favorite but it is a good blend and worth a re buy... to me.
It's nice that we can express our opinions without fear of someone going off on a *%#(^% hissy fit.
cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.......
martinPosted 3 months ago # -
I smoked BH on the way in this morning. It really is a great blend. I was in the mood for it
Jason
Posted 3 months ago # -
BlackHouse isn't, by any means, a Latakia bomb. It contains approximately 40% Latakia by weight, but Latakia weighs out heavier than many tobaccos, so it's probably about 30% by volume, but it was made that way because of old information regarding Balkan Sobranie 759 which put the Lat content at 40%.
Russ
Posted 3 months ago # -
All right, I had my second bowl of Black House last night, and it was very good, perhaps even rivaling Larry's Blend in my affections. I should know better than to evaluate a tobacco based on a single bowl.
Posted 3 months ago # -
I should know better than to evaluate a tobacco based on a single bowl.
For me, three bowls is the bare minimum. But I need 10 before I'll post a review anywhere. (Unless I absolutely hate a blend. . . which I can sometimes know for sure after even a partial bowl.)
Posted 3 months ago # -
I doubt that I will ever know enough to post a "review." Mine was more of a reaction post; all that aside, your point is well taken and I will try to take a more reasoned approach before posting my reactions to new tobaccos, particularly one that has as ardent a following as Black House (and I now count myself as a fan of BH).
Posted 3 months ago #
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